


Patronizing the Patisserie

by a_popcorn_kernel



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Bakery Date, Even Though She Doesn't Know Who's Under The Mask, F/M, Fluff, LMAO, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Sabine ships it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:35:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24612394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_popcorn_kernel/pseuds/a_popcorn_kernel
Summary: Ladybug accidentally agrees to a bakery date with Chat Noir. She finds herself enjoying it more than she should.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 53
Kudos: 128





	Patronizing the Patisserie

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BurnDaBreadGetDaGirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurnDaBreadGetDaGirl/gifts).



> happy birthday burn ily

The sun was dying. 

It burned feebly, flickering like a candle ready to fizzle out at any second. It looked like the end of the world.

But Ladybug knew that was nonsense.

She knew that the sun, in reality, burned twice as bright. Twice as bright and twice as warm and even hotter than that. 

She knew that the sun set every single day, and would rise again in the morning, just as it had been doing for millennia. The cycle would repeat, over and over and over until only kwami knows when.

Still, the small, irrational fear that it would extinguish forever, never again shining its light-giving rays upon the earth, still lingered in the depths of her subconscious.

Ladybug shoved the ridiculous thought away as the sun finally slipped down the horizon, leaving blood red trails of light and a slowly creeping darkness in its wake.

And that was when it all started.

"Hey, Bug." Chat Noir's voice arrested her attention, and her gaze slid to him, waiting. Unsuspecting. He leaned back on his hands, perched next to her somewhere high up the Eiffel Tower. "I've noticed you regularly go to the Dupain-Cheng bakery after we defeat an akuma."

She froze, her eyes widening imperceptibly. Did he know? Was this the part where he told her he had figured out her identity? The part where he told her his only brain cell had actually connected the dots, for what was probably the first time in his life? No. No, this couldn't be possible. How had he _known_? She should've been more careful—!

"...not like it's a big deal, I'm just curious—" She heard him cut himself off, and then suddenly there was a gentle hand at her shoulder. She gave a small shudder of surprise, but she refused to face him and feel his eyes searching hers for truth.

"Hey. Is there something wrong, m'lady?"

She nearly laughed. _Something wrong? Well, other than you probably figuring out my identity thanks to my apparent carelessness, there's nothing wrong!_

At least, that was what she was tempted to say.

Instead of doing that, Ladybug attempted to slide a mask of indifference over her face, which had long been perfected from all the times she'd been forced to ignore Lila's lies. From all the times she'd had to face a camera—face all of Paris—as her superhero persona, sweat discreetly inching down her back beneath the red and black spandex.

Her mask held almost as much sincerity as Adrien's model smile, she knew, having once witnessed herself in an interview as Ladybug. 

Her mind wandered at the mention of Adrien.

Adrien, her crush.

 _Could_ she still call him her crush? 

Ladybug's eyebrows furrowed.

Lately she _had_ been catching herself gazing at her superhero partner in a more… _appreciative_ way… 

"...dy. Ladybug. You in there?"

She blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. Whoops. 

Trying to ignore the faint blush blooming across her cheeks, she scrambled to pick up the pieces of her broken facade. "Ah. Yes, Chat?" 

Her voice shook on the last syllable. She cursed inwardly. 

Chat Noir raised an eyebrow but made no comment. “Well, as I was saying, m'lady, I was wondering... Since you seemed to like going to that bakery so much, I was wondering—”

A burst of nervous laughter interrupted him. “Yeah… about that…” She ducked to hide an anxious smile, a quickly crafted lie ready on her lips. Ladybug exhaled. 

"Tikki really likes their cookies," she said. Technically, it wasn't a lie. "And well… one visit turned into another and soon enough, I was a regular!"

He cocked his head, and Ladybug found herself biting her lip uneasily.

"A regular? Then why haven't I seen you around when I visit?"

"A— ah, that's because, ah, Marinette likes to invite me up to her room when I come! I go there for both the delicious food and the company."

She congratulated herself on the save. _Way to go, me!_

"...okay, then. Anyways, what I was trying to say was..." His eyes took on a hopeful glint, and she held her breath in anticipation. 

_Please don't say you've figured out my identity. Please, please, please._

"Are you…"

The need for oxygen forced her to exhale. She could feel her teeth digging into her lip again.

"...willing to go visit the bakery with me?"

Her inhale was abruptly cut off by a surprised, choking sound. It took her frazzled brain a moment to realize she had made the sound.

"Pardon?" she croaked, turning incredulous yet relieved eyes his way.

Chat Noir smiled sheepishly, the picture of shy innocence. "I just, um, asked if you wanted to go to the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie with me. Maybe tomorrow, since it's a Saturday?" 

Ladybug blinked rapidly. Oh. _Oh_.

"I mean, not like a date!" he blurted out, fidgeting with his ring when she didn't reply. "We can go as friends. If that's what you want."

He'd tried to disguise it, but Ladybug had already heard the pain quivering softly in those words.

Her gut twisted. 

And then she found herself saying, "Silly kitty. It's a date."

...Oops.

Chat's head snapped in her direction so fast she was afraid he'd get whiplash. She cursed her loose tongue to an inch within its life. 

"Really," he breathed, saying it as if she might be blown away with the force of his words.

Something about his voice chipped at her resistance, and she found herself nodding. She found herself actually _wanting_ to go.

(That reaction obviously had to be dissected in detail. But not now. She could do it later.)

She gathered what confidence she could and smiled in response. "I'll meet you there at noon."

Ladybug glanced up at the almost fully darkened sky, pretending she wasn't trying to ignore his awestruck, joyous face. She focused instead on the now light-robbed sky. It was time to go.

She stood up, feeling his eyes track her movements. Summoning what confidence she had left—which, after accidentally agreeing to a date, was _pretty_ small—she shot one last smile at him. 

"Anyways, I've got to bug out now. See you tomorrow!"

Then in a blur of red, she was gone, zipping across the rooftops with the help of her ever-trusty yo-yo.

All the while her mind whirred, her thoughts twisting and tumbling and wrong side out. 

Had she made a mistake?

Or was the blooming warmth in her heart leading her true?

Well. It didn't matter now. It was too late to take back her words and stuff them back into her mouth, if she wanted to.

(A part of her whispered that she didn't.)

She let out a sigh. Later, Ladybug told herself. You can think about this later. 

Resolved, she pushed her thoughts away and lost herself in the thrilling, yet oddly calming feeling of swinging around Paris, a sensation she had long grown fond of.

Overthinking. That was all she was doing. 

This was nothing. It would be just them, in a warm, cozy nook with buttery pastries and his green, green eyes—

Ladybug swallowed, suddenly apprehensive. She tried to shove down her wariness.

After all, what harm was there in a little bakery date?

* * *

The moment her eyes alighted on Chat Noir through the glass, she instantly knew that she had been so, so utterly misguided when she had thought she could handle this "little bakery date."

She drank in the sight of him, his head partially obstructed by the various types of bread piled on the window display.

Ladybug could have managed his flirtatious smirk. She could have coped with the usual, oh-so-cheesy grin. Piece of cake, all part of the job, etc., etc.

But nothing could have prepared her for the heartwarming, breathtaking innocence of pure childish joy lighting up his eyes as he happily devoured a flaky pastry, looking for all the world like he was in heaven.

If no one had been watching her, she would've clutched her chest at the sheer delight radiating from his glowing smile. 

But no. Already she could feel eyes on her back, from where she stood facing the bakery's windows. Wondering why she was there. Wondering what she was doing.

Ladybug swallowed, and tried her best to ignore their scrutiny. 

Walking over to the door, she placed a hesitant palm on the cool, tinted glass. Inhaled. Then Ladybug pushed it open as she had done countless times before as Marinette, hoping no one saw how affected she'd been—and still was—by a simple smile.

The bell tinkled daintily, and Maman—no, she had to call her Sabine now, Ladybug reminded herself—glanced up from where the woman stood behind the counter, packing up the rest of Chat Noir's purchases.

"Hello, and welcome to—" Sabine's eyes widened in stunned surprise, the long-practiced greeting dying down when she noticed who exactly she had been talking to.

Chat Noir turned around, noticing Sabine's silence. 

"What is i— oh! M'lady, you came!"

"Hi, Chat. Hi, Sabine." Ladybug gave a feeble wave, feeling a sudden rush of awkwardness. Approaching the counter, she flashed a small, nervous smile at Chat, then turned to face Sabine. "May I have my regular, please?"

She desperately hoped Sabine would interpret the pleading in her eyes to help her out and play along.

"Your… regular?" Sabine said, a tinge of confusion in her tone.

Ladybug's eyes darted to Chat nervously, trying to gauge his expression. 

"Yeah, y'know, the usual croissant and bag of madeleines?" She tried to convey her emotions silently, tamping down the note of desperation in her voice.

When Sabine nodded, albeit with some confusion, Ladybug relaxed visibly, exhaling with relief.

"Of… of course, Ladybug," Sabine replied cheerfully, her face giving nothing away. "One croissant and a packet of madeleines, coming right up!"

While she bustled around them, gathering the needed items, Chat took the opportunity to talk to Ladybug.

"How's it going, m'lady? Missed me?" His eyebrows wiggled comically, and she laughed.

"Maybe _you_ missed _me_ ," she giggled, booping him on the nose affectionately. 

Chat Noir chuckled, dusting crumbs off his gloved hands. "Maybe I did," he said, his green eyes sparkling in the noonday sunlight.

And for a moment, Ladybug wished he had. Missed her, that is. 

Ignoring the _thump-thump-thump_ in her heart that came with the thought, she attempted to brush it off with a playful punch. 

"Silly kitty," Ladybug tittered, trying to inject levity into her tone. Trying to hide the fact that his words had done a number on her. 

She didn't notice how the light in his eyes died a little, at her flippant response. Didn't notice how his face fell, imperceptibly. 

Chat smoothed over the hurt and plastered on a smile. 

He should be used to this. Used to the silent rejection in each laugh, each wink. Used to the way she brushed off each of his little confessions. Used to the way his love for her constantly shattered his own heart.

Was it wrong for him to have hoped this time would be different? That because she herself had said it'd be a date, maybe he had a chance?

Chat sighed softly, watching through rueful eyes as Sabine cheerily offered Ladybug her purchase, insisting it was on the house. 

A small chuckle escaped his mouth. Sabine had done the same to him, and even though he'd tried his hardest, in the end, she had won.

And now Ladybug was faring no different. Soon she found the baked goods being thrust into her arms, her modest refusals doing nothing to temper the steel will of Sabine Cheng.

"You're getting these on the house. No arguments," Sabine said firmly. "Now, as you may know, we recently added a few small tables at the back area. How about the two of you sit down and eat there?"

Sabine cocked her head, a possibility coming to mind. "That is, unless you didn't plan to come here together?"

The twinkle in the woman's eyes indicated that she believed otherwise.

"Ah, we did!" Ladybug blurted out. "We… we're on a…"

Chat held his breath, almost afraid to hope.

"We're on a date," Ladybug finished quietly.

His heart whooped with giddy joy, and he felt a grin stretch across his face. _She… she actually said it,_ he thought, dazed with delight. _She actually said it!_

Chancing a glance in his Lady's direction, he saw that she had the most adorable look on her face. Her cheeks were dusted with cherry blossom pink, lips turned up into an awkward, yet endearing smile.

The sight of that utterly beautiful smile sent tremors through his body, and he felt himself falling in love again. 

Sabine's expression, meanwhile, had gone from shocked to understanding to giddy, all in a span of one second. 

"Really? That's great!" she said, turning them around and steering them towards the back as she chattered on. "Now that I know you guys are on a date, I must insist that you take a seat and enjoy our pastries!

Pulling out two wooden, straight-backed chairs from a table, she gestured for the two of them to take a seat. They smiled at her gratefully, Ladybug and Chat Noir plopping down their separate purchases on the tabletop.

"Now, you two sit tight, and I'll be right back with my special hot chocolate," Sabine said. When she saw the duo open their mouths in unison, ready to protest, she cut them off in advance. "You're getting these on the house, too. Don't even _try_ to argue with me again. It's the least we can do to thank you, for keeping us and Paris safe."

"But—" Ladybug turned to Chat, but he merely shrugged, as if to say 'what can we do about it?' She slumped in defeat. "Well. Okay then," she conceded, with no small amount of gratitude.

Sabine clapped her hands. "Excellent! Enjoy your pastries. I'll be right back."

And with that, she bustled out of sight, undoubtedly going in search of the needed items for hot chocolate.

Which left Ladybug and Chat Noir in awkward, suffocating silence.

"So."

Ladybug glanced up from where she'd been fiddling with her bag of goods. "Mm?"

A wide grin unfurled on Chat's smug face. "You said we were on a date."

Ladybug rolled her eyes, trying to act nonchalant, but she knew Chat could see the blush that had started blooming on her cheeks. "Yeah, so?"

"So, does this mean that m'lady is truly taking this stray cat out on a date?" he asked, tilting his head adorably. 

She giggled. "I thought that was already obvious, _chaton_."

He smiled, then, the same smile she'd spotted through the bakery windows. Except it was even more breathtaking up close, and the sheer happiness and _love_ in that single smile stole her breath from her lungs.

"I was just making sure," he replied, and she tried to regain her breathing again. "Just making sure."

Witnessing his smile, she knew, was rare, precious. Fleeting. Already she longed to see it again.

She also knew it'd take more than just one little bakery date to coax out more of that smile.

But Ladybug was Ladybug, and if there was one thing Ladybug was known for, well, it was her perseverance. Her determination.

She swore then she'd do whatever it took to see his face light up like that again.

**Author's Note:**

> its 4 am i should probably sleep
> 
> [ Join the amazing Miraculous Fanworks Discord here](https://discord.gg/598A4SS)
> 
> i'm on tumblr at [apopcornkernel](https://apopcornkernel.tumblr.com)


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